RE: Definition of Racism (without rent-a-riot)

From: Joe Dees (joedees@addall.com)
Date: Wed Aug 08 2001 - 23:07:18 MDT


('binary' encoding is not supported, stored as-is) >Date: Wed, 8 Aug 2001 21:17:57 -0700 (PDT)
> Loree Thomas <loreetg@yahoo.com> RE: Definition of Racism (without rent-a-riot) extropians@extropy.orgReply-To: extropians@extropy.org
>
>
>--- "Mitchell, Jerry (3337)"
><Jerry.Mitchell@esavio.com> wrote:
>
>This seems pointless.
>
>
>> > From Random House Webster's College dictionary
>> > (copyright 1999):
>> >
>> > Discriminate:
>> > 1) to make a distinction in favor of or against a
>> > person on the basis of the group or class to which
>> > that person belongs, rather than according to
>> merit.
>> >
>> > 2) to note or observe a difference.
>> >
>> > 1 and 2 are different usages, you are acting as if
>> > they are identical... they aren't.
>
>> >
>> > Racial profiling is racist. Making true
>> statistical
>> > statements based on race isn't racist... actions
>> based
>> > on those statistics and aimed at individuals is
>> > racist.
>>
>> Why is action based on real numbers racist?
>
>Re-read what I wrote. Re-read def 1 of
>discrimination. It's very clear. If you still can't
>figure it out, I can't help you.
>
The idea you're putting forward is, I believe, that to treat an individual member of a class as if a statistical tendency of the class automatically applied to the individual (which it would only do a percentage of the time) rather than to treat such a person AS an individual and not to assume that class trends so applied, is discrimination. However, I consider such treatment to be prejudice, as one is prejudging the individual based upon the tendencies of their class, rather than judging him/her on his/her individual merits. Perhaps discrimination is that action that is taken on the basis of prejudice.
>
>Loree
>
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